Sunday, January 15, 2012

Darius Goes West

We watched this
documentary in one of my classes. I thought it was amazing. You should
definitely check it out. It is the story of a boy with muscular dystrophy that
wants to get his wheelchair pimped by MTV's show "Pimp My Ride". With
the help of some friends a three week cross country trip in a RV from Athens,
GA to Los Angeles, CA and back was planned to try to convince MTV to trick out
the wheelchair. They also filmed a documentary to bring awareness to muscular
dystrophy and wheelchair accessibility. It is an eye-opening and heart touching
film.

The story that
struck me most from the film was Darius, the boy with muscular dystrophy, was
dared by some of the crew (comprised of his friends) to eat a spoonful of
wasabi. Darius was not one to back down from a bet. However, someone else in
the restaurant yelled at the crew for picking on Darius. Darius in no way felt
picked on and felt like he was just hanging out with his friends. It was just a
strong reminder that people in wheelchairs do not want to be coddled or pitied,
but be part of the gang.

The film brings up
wonderful perspectives on wheelchair accessibility, living with muscular
dystrophy, and living your life the fullest. If you want to check it out you
can go to http://www.dariusgoeswest.org/the-film/ to purchase the film and learn more.